Simply do not add up
you’re possibly right except when one of the occasional schemozzles broke out on the pitch, the pregnant sideline was only too willing to spring forth and populate the field with nuisances that simply should not have been there.
One particular hero seemed to be the first man in off the sideline on about three occasions, and only too happy to give all and sundry a piece of his undoubted intellect. Of course it begs the question as to why, with all that energy and enthusiasm, that said hero wasn’t on the pitch from the start with a jersey on his back?
There is a serious point to all this, however, and it should be fairly obvious. We’re all surely familiar with the online videos of fights at recent Gaelic football matches, some of which have involved some fairly heavy violence involving not just players, but mentors, officials and even spectators. Most of the recent catalogue have occurred in Ulster and it’s been easy for everyone south of the border to shake their heads and mutter something about Nordies and a lack of control.
But it’s not exclusively an Ulster thing, and you don’t have to go too far back for examples in this county where massed brawls have led to fairly heavy suspensions for players and fines for clubs. And credit to the GAA authorities for handing
MAIN MAN
DavidClifford stood out when his side needed him most. Two of his points were worth the attendance fee alone. Jack Sherwood can also be pleased with his contribution when adriving forcewas needed. For Dingle Tom O’Sullivanwas outstanding andPaul Geaney was aconstant threat.
TURNING POINT
When Tom O’Sullivanscored Dingle’s goal in the 46th minute it looked like it was curtains for East Kerry. The instant reply and punched finish from David Clifford straight afterwards completely changed the complexion of the game however, and suddenly East Kerry appeared to awaken from their slumber.
TALKING POINT
Unfortunately referee Sean Joy was on everyone’s lips for his handling of the game. In plain language, he had a bit of a stinker. Sometimes common sense has to prevail but it was lacking at times during this game. He will have better days. The absenceofMark O’Connor was another talking point. His AFL club Geelong wouldn’t allow him tog out. A massive loss for Dingle. down those punishments. But more needs to be done.
Why are teams being permitted to bring in the region of 25 personnel each through the perimeter gate and on to the field before games.
Why are teams let bring 15 or so substitutes into dugouts when a maximum of six substitutions are allowed.
Outside of, say, four team mentors and a physiotherapist, who are all these people who feel they need to be hogging the sideline during a game?
And why the hell are the match officials putting up with it?
It’s hard enough for a referee or linesman of umpire see what’s happening when one of these macho-bullshit all-ins happens without another 10 or 15 heroes piling in from the sideline to further muddy the waters. Or maybe that’s the idea: to flood the situation with bodies so that the officials are so distracted by the deluge that they can’t really adjudicate on anything.
As unnecessary as these all-in fights among players are - and there should be severe sanction imposed to cut them out (are spectators happy enough to shell out their money to watch his utter nonsense?) - there should be far more punitive punishments for any eejit coming in off the sideline to get involved in a fracas.
Many it’s the bit of indigenous madness in Gaelic madness, and maybe it appeals to a section of us, but you hardly ever hear of or see this kind of nonsense at soccer or rugby or basketball or any other team sport at a local level in this country. Sure, there are outliers in other sports but it seems to be getting more prevalent and more vicious in Gaelic games.
Are we going to do anything about it? Wait for someone to sue a county board for injuries? Wait for someone to be hospitalised or worse?
Everyone needs to loosen the grip and get a grip. It’s time to a proper head count before people start losing theirs.
Dingle: East Kerry:
29 from 41, with 19 uncontested, 71%*
19 from 21, 10 out of 12 first half, 9 out of 9 second
* 1 East Kerry kick-out in the first half resulted in a hop-ball
SCORING CHANCES CONVERTED
14 out of 23, 8 out of 12 first half, 6 out of 11 second half, 61% with six different scorers
12 out of 19, 4 out of 9 first half, 8 out of 10 second half, 63% with five different scorers
SHORTS DROPPED SHORT
1 (0 first half, 1 second half)
2 (1 first half, 1 second half)
WIDES
7 (4 first half, 3 second half)
8 (4 first half, 4 second half)
CARDS
3 (1 red, 2 yellow)
7 (1 red, 2 black, 4 yellow)
FREES AGAINST
13 (7 first half, 6 second half)
23 (11 first half, 12 second half) You rarely see as stark a difference in overall primary possession numbers as what we had here.
East Kerry claimed 71% and Dingle just 27%. Had you told us that before the match we probably would have predicted a comfortable victory for the favourites. Of course, this match didn’t play out remotely like that, so what gives?
Well basically it was a really clever tactical ploy by Seán Geaney and his management team to allow East Kerry their own kick-outs. Dingle claimed just one East Kerry kick-out against the head in the match (they forced a hop-ball on another), the rest of the time they funnelled players back and clogged up the channels in and around the middle and final thirds of the pitch.
The effect was pretty devastating to East Kerry who struggled badly to break it down for long stretches of the match. You would have thought that allowing a team as talented as East Kerry that much possession would have been a dangerous tactic, but instead it worked a treat.
In the first half East Kerry managed just 4 points and created just 8 chances. For a team that was averaging almost thirty points
a game cumulatively and that had scored on average 5 goals a game this was some turnaround.
Some people might quibble with it – it didn’t make for a particularly entertaining first half – but given Dingle had conceded 6-16 to East Kerry in the second round they had to try do something different and this was what they came up with.
We were left to wonder, however, whether East Kerry should have been a bit more adventurous on their own kick-outs. Yes they retained a remarkable 90% of them, but for a lot of the game it didn’t seem to be doing them much good. What they needed probably more than possession was territory and it was on Dingle’s kick-outs more so than on their own that they got it.
It was on Dingle’s kick-outs in the second half that East Kerry arguably turned the game. By winning 8 of Dingle’s 12 second half kick-outs, East Kerry showed they had the wherewithal to win around the middle of the park. They probably got as least as much out of the 10 kick-outs they won against the head as the 19 they were handed uncontested.
Who are all these people who feel they need to be hogging the sideline during a game?